The final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season, the U.S. Open, begins Monday from New York with all eyes on the men’s side on world No. 1 Novak Djokovic as he attempts to win the calendar-year Grand Slam, which no player has done since Rod Laver in 1969.

With that, we take a closer look at the 2021 US Open men’s single, along with their respective Tennis odds. More than that, the Nitrobetting news team goes the extra mile to bring important details of the event alongside expert betting predictions. Secure the best picks and enhance your tennis betting experience with us by playing at our online Bitcoin sportsbook.

2021 US Open Men’s Tournament Info

Novak & the Next Gen.

Top seed Novak Djokovic is joined by a group of #USOpen contenders aged 25-and-under. pic.twitter.com/lIcDquVFzU

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2021

• When: August 30 – September 12, 2021
• Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Queens, New York
• TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+
• Live Stream: WatchESPN

Who are the Favorites to win the 2021 US Open?

Djokovic is tied with a men’s record 20 Grand Slam titles alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but neither of those two will play in the U.S. Open. Federer’s career might be over as he will miss several months following yet another knee surgery, and he’s 40 years old. The surgery will be his third procedure on his right knee in the past 18 months. He first underwent arthroscopic surgery in February 2020, then had an additional procedure in May of that year.

“I want to give myself a glimmer of hope also to return to the tour in some shape or form,” Federer said. “I am realistic, don’t get me wrong, I know how difficult it is at this age right now to do another surgery and try it. But I want to be healthy, and I’ll go through the rehab process … As you can imagine, it’s not been simple. I’ve been doing a lot of checks with doctors on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further in the grass court season and Wimbledon.”

A five-time singles champion in New York, Federer last competed at the U.S. Open in 2019, when he reached the quarterfinals. He won his five U.S. Open titles in consecutive years, from 2004-08, and later reached two finals, in 2009 and 2015.

Nadal, meanwhile, is out the rest of 2021 due to a foot injury. The Spaniard has had foot issues for pretty much his entire career due to Muller-Weiss disease, a rare condition that resulted in a deformity in one of the bones in his foot. This recent flare-up at age 35 has cast some doubt over this last phase of his career. He’s a four-time U.S. Open winner.

“Rafa’s main goal is to recover sensations in the foot and in the head, because going in fits and starts throughout the year has not helped him,” Coach Carlos Moya said. “He started with back pain in Australia, he has played only seven events this year. He missed Wimbledon, the Olympics and now the US Open and the Masters.”

Who are the Dark Horses to win the 2021 US Open?

Last year, Dominic Thiem won his first U.S. Open title, beating Alexander Zverev, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. Zverev raced to a 6-2, 5-1 lead in under an hour. The German was four games from the title, up a break at 2-1 in the third, when Thiem found traction with his biting ground game. The Austrian became the first player in the Open era to win from two sets down in a U.S. Open final.

However, he won’t defend due to a wrist injury. Thiem has been out of competition since injuring his right wrist at the Mallorca Open in June, ahead of Wimbledon. Prior to Wimbledon, the 27-year-old had not missed a Grand Slam in his professional career, dating back to 2014. Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 champion, has not played since March due to injury and will not be in New York.

Thus, it should be an easy ride to the title for Djokovic, who has won the tournament three times – the last in 2018. He’s the -145 favorite to win the U.S. Open. Djokovic, though, comes off back-to-back losses in the Olympics and didn’t play in a warm-up tournament because he was worn out physically and mentally.

“To me it’s going to be him against the field,” American tennis legend John McEnroe said. “I pick him right now. The heat could be an issue for any player, any top player, any player for that matter. That could be a deciding factor if he were to lose to someone, if he got stuck in a situation where he was playing in really hot conditions like it’s going to be tomorrow, if he was playing during the day. Otherwise, I think he’s going to do it.”

Last year’s finalist Zverev ended Djokovic’s hopes of clinching his first Olympic singles gold medal when the 24-year-old downed the top seed in the semifinals in Tokyo, before going on to defeat Karen Khachanov in the final. Zverev is priced +600 to win the U.S. Open. Daniil Medvedev is the +400 second favorite. He reached the final in 2019 and will be the No. 2 seed. Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas (+900) has collected a tour-leading 48 wins this year and could be a threat.

READ MORE: 2021 US Open Tennis Women’s Betting Preview

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